To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
Click the image above to watch the video.
Lake Louise Glacier Cocktail
makes 1
INGREDIENTS
1 ounce citrus vodka
1/2 ounce Cointreau
1/2 ounce Blue Curacao
3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
3/4 ounce simple syrup
Garnish – twist of lemon
Corn syrup & sugar to rim your glass
DIRECTIONS
Add the ingredients & ice to a shaker & shake to blend.
Pour corn syrup in a shallow plate & sugar in another. Dip the rim of the glass in corn syrup & then sugar. Pour the cocktail in & garnish with the twist.
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
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OK – I made this recipe up & it did not come out as I had intended. I expected a more traditional cake texture but got the dense & uber moist bundt you see here that had the consistency of a rich bread pudding. It was still delicious – but know that it is more accurately described as bread pudding. If you are a baker & know where I went wrong – let me know.
Grease a bundt pan and coat with a thin layer of flour.
With a stand mixer or electric hand mixer, whip the cream cheese & butter until blended & sorta fluffy – about 3 minutes. Whip in the sugar until combined.
Mix in the vanilla, salt, and vegan eggs. Add sour cream, lemon juice & zest & milk. Blend.
Blend in milk, baking soda & baking powder.
Blend in the flour.
Fold in the blueberries by hand.
Bake approximately 60-75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out mostly dry with a few moist crumbs on it.
for the glaze
In a bowl – combine ingredients until smooth.
Let the bundt cake cool before inverting onto a plate. Drizzle glaze and/or powdered sugar & decorate with extra blueberries.
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option. Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out. It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing. The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.
Click the image above to watch the video.
Vegan Shaved Fennel, Green Apple & Arugula Salad with Toasted Walnuts & Lemon Vinaigrette
serves 4
for the vinaigrette
2 lemons
olive oil
Balsamic vinegar (optional)
S&P
for the salad
1 cup walnut pieces
2 fennel bulbs – sliced as thinly as possible
2 large granny smith apples – cored & sliced as thinly as possible
2 or more cups arugula
INSTRUCTIONS
Squeeze the two lemons – getting as much juice as possible. Whatever you get there – add an equal amount (or a tad less) of olive oil. Season with S&P. Add a splash of balsamic, if you like.
In a dry pan, toast the walnut pieces until they become aromatic & just begin to brown. A minute or 2. Set aside off of heat.
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
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All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option. Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out. It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing. The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.
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These are as easy as putting everything into a slow cooker & walking away. I did not even pre-soak the beans. You could speed this process up either by using canned beans or soaking dry beans overnight or quick soaking them or cooking them on a higher setting – or by doing it stove top. These are mildly spicy & mildly citrusy. You could ratchet either of those flavors up or down – according to your preferences.
Vegan Spicy Citrus Black Beans (Instant Pot, Slow Cooker or Stove Top)
Feeds 6 with rice
INGREDIENTS
1 lb dry black beans
5 cups water or stock (1 cup only if using drained, canned beans)
Juice of 2 limes
juice of 1 large lemon
juice of 1 large orange
6 garlic cloves – minced
2 (or more or less) chipotle chilies in adobo – minced
1 onions – diced
3 serrano (or jalapeno) peppers – minced (or to taste)
Put it all in a slow cooker on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. Cook uncovered longer if they are too wet – add water if they are too dry. If they seem too runny – maybe puree a small amount of the beans & return them to the pan.
STOVE TOP
Put everything in a very large stock pot & bring to a boil & simmer until the beans are tender (90 minutes or more or until the beans are tender). Boil longer if they are too watery. Add water if they get too thick. If they seem too runny – maybe puree a small amount of the beans & return them to the pan.
INSTANT POT
Put it all into the Instant Pot & cook on manual for 25 minutes. Drain in a colander if they are too wet. Add water if they get too dry. If they seem too runny – maybe puree a small amount of the beans & return them to the pan.
All of these methods will go much faster with beans soaked overnight and, in the case of canned beans, the only times required is maybe an hour to let the flavors meld.
Garnish with cilantro & serve with rice. Maybe squeeze a bit of lemon, lime or orange juice onto the beans.
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option. Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or just print it out. It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing. The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.
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OK – in order to make this recipe – you really will need two important ingredients – seen above – preserved lemons & ras el hanout. The preserved lemons will give the dish its distinctive Moroccan flair and the ras el hanout will keep this stew from tasting like a curry. You can make the ras el hanout – as it is just a blend of other spices – but buying it will be so much cheaper & easier. See the package below – list the spices involved in that particular brand.
I used saffron – because I had it – but saffron can be very expensive so – if you don’t have any & don’t want to shell out the funds – blow the saffron off. Same with the harissa (a hot sauce). The two things I really suggest you not blow off are the preserved lemons & the ras el hanout – both of which can be purchased on Amazon.
Preserved lemons come in a jar (see above) & are simply lemons pickled in brine. They maintain all their sharp lemon flavor but are quite salty & very soft. The flavor they give this dish is critical – so – be patient – and get some before making this.
Other than that – this is a straight-forward slow cooker dish (which could be made by simmering on the stove, too) with ingredients that are easy to come by. I served mine with this Trader Joe’s blend of grains but couscous is more traditional. I like this stuff from Trader Joe’s because it is pretty & offers lots of textures. You can serve yours with whatever grain you prefer.
I used Beyond Meat chicken because I think it is the best on the market. I thawed & shredded it because it breaks down in stews better that way & because – visually – it really looks like shredded chicken. I am convinced you could slip this by meat-eaters with no complaints.
Vegan Moroccan Chicken, Chickpeas & Butternut Squash with Preserved Lemons for the Slow Cooker (or Not)
Serves 4-6 with couscous or rice
INGREDIENTS
9-12 oz vegan chicken
1 onion – diced
2-4 garlic cloves – chopped
2 (15 oz) cans of chickpeas – drained
4 cups vegetable stock
1 TBS ras el hanout
1/4 – 1 preserved lemon (depending on hpw large it is) – diced small (start with less & add more as you go – just so that this flavor doesn’t get to overpowering for you) – I used the entire 1/2 lemon using all parts
Saffron (a large pinch or more) – optional
Green and/or black olives – I used half Kalamata & half large martini olives – in a quantity to suit your taste for olives – optional
1 TBS harissa (or other hot sauce) – optional
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes
3 carrots – chopped
1 butternut squash – peeled, seeded & cubed
1/2 – 1 red bell pepper – diced
1 lemon – peeled & sliced
1 handful cilantro
GARNISH – chopped cilantro or parsley, lemon wedges/slices
Cooked couscous or other grain
DIRECTIONS
Instant Pot – Put all the ingredients in & use soup setting for 20 minutes.
Slow cooker – Put everything into a slow cooker & cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8. If you started light with the preserved lemon – taste occasionally & add more – if you like the flavor. Overall – it should have a strong lemon flavor. It should not need salt – because the preserved lemons, olives & stock should have that covered.
Stove top – just bring to a boil & simmer everything until the vegetables are soft – likely less than an hour. If you started light with the preserved lemon – taste occasionally & add more – if you like the flavor. Overall – it should have a strong lemon flavor. It should not need salt – because the preserved lemons, olives & stock should have that covered.
In all cases – add water if it gets too thick. Drain in a colander if it is too wet.
Serve with whatever grain you chose & garnish with cilantro or parsley & lemon wedges.
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
Click the image below to watch the video.
St. Germain Gin Fizz Cocktail
Makes one real cocktail or two minis
INGREDIENTS
2 oz gin
1 oz St. Germain
1 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 oz club soda
1/2 oz simple syrup
Garnish options: sliced cucumber, mint sprigs, cracked pepper
DIRECTIONS
Shake the gin, St. Germain, lemon juice & simple syrup in ice for 30 seconds. Pour into glasses filled with ice & cucumber slices. Top with club soda & garnish with cucumber & mint.
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
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I am sharing this recipe from May 2014 because I have a new episode of my new Youtube show – Delightful Delicious Delovely & Video Vegan to go with it. Check out the on-camera recipe here (and lease subscribe to my channel):
I always adored chicken piccata. I love capers, I love lemon and, defiantly, I love parsley! But, about 25 years ago, I gave up meat from mammals & poultry. “Meat from mammals” sounds like something they found at Jeffrey Dahmer’s because – well – that IS what they found there. But I mean I gave up red meat which, sorry folks, includes pork, and I gave up chicken & the like. I only gave up seafood this year (because of lots of things but Fukushima was the last straw).
I miss the oddest things from the meat & chicken world. Costco hotdogs. Big Macs (which I would no longer eat because of pink slime etc – even if I ate meat). Really, really rare steak. Any real selection of any ethnic food beyond Indian. Tacos (fish tacos). Street cart kinda food. And chicken piccata.
So – with all this fake meat suddenly deluging the market – I have begun to get quite busy experimenting with it. In the past, fake meat was seitan or tempeh – which I find have flavors too specific to mask easily and tofu which has always underwhelmed me- and now soy is all GMO & shit & so I try to avoid that, too. Then there are veggie burgers & veggie dogs – which are reasonable replacements for the real thing but they can’t be turned into chicken piccata. And the fake breakfast sausage patties they make are great! A decent fake bacon is still an apparition on the horizon – except for the chemical-burn inducing Bacos – which I have been known to eat, by the jar, with a bottle of red.
Sometimes, I am really gross & pathetic.
Anyway, it seems that overnight – there is a selection of fake meats in even the most mainstream supermarkets and I have been having great success with them! Look at how delicious a vegan chicken (firecracker chicken) can be!
Prefer beef? Behold!
HERE are some other vegan chicken selections from my recipe book. And HERE are some vegan beef ones.
OK – so – chicken piccata! OK – the first time I attempted it this week – I used these cutlet things because they seemed to replicate real chicken piccata visually better.
So – I whipped them up into a piccata & made myself that garlic baby broccoli, and some lemon-basil baby squash & some jalapeno mashed cauliflower – plated it up & commenced photographing it. Here are the results:
While this was all very delicious (though these cutlet-style pieces retain some of the stronger and not altogether awesome flavors of earlier faux meat products) – I did not like the darkness of the “chicken” piccata in these photos. So – I endeavored to make it again using some chicken strip-style faux meat I had.
I picked around in this bag & pulled out all the larger strips I could find. I used about half this bag in the recipe here. (UPDATE – I would suggest using Beyond Meat – if you can find it near you.)
And look at how convincingly it looks like chicken once it is cooked! Isn’t that amazing? I am very excited about this & VERY glad I attempted this recipe a second time. This brand of fake chicken tastes way better than any of the Gardein products I have tried but Simple Truth products are really Kroger products & this Simple Truth folks were recently exposed as being lying motherfuckers. Or MISLEADING motherfuckers, at the very least. Read about the lawsuit HERE. And PS – I once bought a few cans of Kroger pitted black olives & they tasted SO MUCH like chemicals – I actually returned the unopen cans for a refund. That marks my ONLY return of a grocery item in my life! I avoid Kroger now whenever I can (no pun intended!). 🙂 So – I still highly recommend the Trader Joe’s faux beef & chicken products & the Beyond Meat stuff that the coupon above is for.
Chicken piccata is a dish that allows a bit of wiggle room. I REALLY like capers & I love lemon – so I go heavy on these. I will admit, I actually used real butter here but a vegan option is perfectly fine. There is a shallot in my pictures but I forgot to use it. Oops!
Say – have you heard? I wrote a comedy NOVEL!!!!! Go to http://www.BathingBook.com & find out more – and maybe BUY it! The reviews on Amazon are pretty awesome!
2 lemons – one sliced into thin rounds. One quartered for garnish.
1/2 cup Parsley – chopped
2-3 TBS Vegan (or real – if you ain’t vegan) butter
Olive Oil
3 garlic cloves – minced
1 cup dry white wine (or cooking wine) OR 1 TBS Dijon mixed into a cup of water
Capers (I used 1/2 of a 4 oz jar – but I LOVE capers!)
Vegetable bouillon (I used 1/2 of one of the large ones seen below – enough for 1 cup stock – and I am not certain they are vegan)
S&P
DIRECTIONS
Toss the faux chicken in enough flour to lightly coat the pieces. Add some S&P & toss.
In a large saute pan, heat about 1 TBS olive oil & 1 TBS of whatever kind of butter you are using over med-high heat. Add the fake chicken. I pressed the chicken flat in the pan.
My chicken cooked up nicely but I did have to add another TBS or so of olive oil to keep the pan from becoming too dry. When the chicken (and this would even apply to real chicken) is heated through & browned, take it from the pan & set aside.
At this point, I added about another TBS of butter & a dollop of olive oil & the bouillon. Be very careful NOT to burn your butter. Once the bouillon dissolved, I added the garlic. After 30 seconds – THIRTY SECONDS because garlic burns fast – I added the wine. I increased the heat to high & added HALF the lemon rounds and the capers. I saved the other half of the rounds to put under the piccata when I served it.
This came to a boil pretty fast & I let it do its thing there for a minute or two until it thickened just a bit. If yours doesn’t thicken quickly, a few PINCHES of flour whisked in should help. Add the chicken & a few pinches of chopped parsley & heat it all through.
Once it seems hot – serve that shit up! Plate it over a few fresh lemon rounds & garnish it with LOTS of parsley & maybe more capers & a lemon wedge. This goes really will over pasta noodles or mashed potatoes. I used mashed cauliflower & I was VERY pleased with myself! I nice white wine & a veggie side & you are good to go! Go & buy my BOOK, that is! 🙂
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option. Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out. It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing. The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.
I had a head of purple cabbage in my fridge that was the size of a basketball. I decided to add half of it to some leftover rice to accomplish two things: not waste all the cabbage & to extend the quantity of rice with some guiltless & vibrant cabbage. I am very happy with the result both in color & the crunch the cabbage adds to the texture. I recommend it very highly.
Purple Cabbage Fried Rice
INGREDIENTS
(I used a tad more cabbage than rice but the ratio is up to you.)
2 cups cooked rice
2 cups chopped purple cabbage
1/2 onion – diced
1 cup grated or slivered carrots
1-5 cloves garlic – chopped
2 or more TBS fresh minced ginger
1 TBS sesame (or other) oil
DIRECTIONS
Heat the oil in a large wok or saute pan. Add the onions, & cabbage & saute until they begin to soften. Add the carrots, rice & ginger & stir to combine & warm through. Add the garlic and saute another minute or two. Serve.
Vegan Spicy Lemongrass & Ginger Beef
Serves 2 very well
INGREDIENTS
3 stalks of lemongrass – cut into 3″ lengths & smashed with the handle of a knife (to bruise them & release the flavor. The cooked lemongrass is inedible so pick around it in the finished dish.)
8+ ounces seitan (or other meat replacement like – Beyond Meat Chicken or Gardein beef or pork products)
3 dry red chilies (optional – they are quite spicy) – crumbled a bit
2 TBS dark soy sauce (it gives the seitan that dark & beefy color)
1 TBS liquid aminos (or soy sauce or tamari)
1 TBS shao xing rice wine
2 TBS brown sugar
Potential garnished: sliced red or green jalapeno peppers, basil or mint or cilantro leaves
DIRECTIONS
Heat the oil in a wok or large pan & add the dry red chilies – if using. Add the lemongrass & saute a minute or two. Add the green beans & saute on high heat until they begin to sear a bit.
Add the remaining ingredients. Add about 1/4 cup water to aid in steaming the beans a bit & create some sauce. Heat through – until the sauce thickens. Serve with rice.
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
This is a very, very easy dish. It can be made with your favorite vegan chicken (or even real chicken, if you eat it, put in the pan skin-side up). I have not eaten chicken since the eighties & I pretty much always use Beyond Meat chicken when making vegan chicken dishes. You can use as much chicken to potato to green bean as you desire. I prefer a heavier vegetable content. Others like more protein. You can decide for yourself how much of each of the three ingredients you need to feed your head count.
Vegan One-Pan Chicken Piccata with Green Beans & Roasted Potatoes
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or treat a casserole dish with cooking oil.
Whisk the olive oil & about 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice with the garlic & season with S&P to taste.
Thinly slice one or two lemons & layer the bottom of your cooking pan.
Toss the green beans in the lemon juice & olive oil in a pan or bowl. Using tongs – put them on one third of the cooking pan – leaving the remaining olive oil mixture in the bowl. Toss the chicken & place it in the center of the pan. Toss the potatoes & put them on the pan. Reserve the remaining oil & juice. Add a bit of S&P. Do not add the capers yet. My photos show that I did but they got a bit too dried out.
Roast about 25 minutes & then mix each of the rows up a bit so the other sides of things can roast. Add the capers. Cook another 25 minutes or so or until everything looks done to you. You can remove anything that seems done & keep roasting other things – the potatoes, for instance – until they are done to your liking.
Plate & garnish with the remaining olive oil & lemon, extra capers, parsley & lemon wedges.
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
I started this blog on about July 5, 2012. On July 13, 2012, I posted one of my all-time favorite recipes. It is one I got from my good friend, Naomi Priestley. It is Zucchini & Mint Pasta with Parmesan (seen just above). But – it is such a divine dish – I thought I would post it again with a few new options. 1) It can be made without cheese altogether or 2) without cheese but with a squeeze of lemon juice or 3) with vegan Parmesan.
Do not be thrown by the idea of mint in a pasta dish – it is delicious! It is especially lovely when you use fresh, homemade pasta – but dry pasta is fine, too. If you do not consider oil and S&P to be legit ingredients – this is a 5 ingredient dish & comes together in less than 20 minutes.
I bought this ridiculous $5 micro basil because it looks pretty. It is tasty, too, but it is certainly an unnecessary indulgence.
Fresh Mint & Zucchini Pasta (Vegan or Vegetarian)
Serves 2
INGREDIENTS
1/2 lb pasta – cooked & drained
Olive oil
3-5 zucchini – either grated or spiralized or sliced (you can use as much zucchini as you like to mitigate the amount of pasta you eat or to, at least, lighten up the dish)
1-3 cloves garlic – chopped
1/4 cup fresh mint – chopped
S&P to taste
OPTIONS – Parmesan or vegan Parmesan (to taste) and or a squeeze of fresh lemon juice
Garnish: chopped mint and/or parsley and/or basil, more cheese, crushed red pepper
DIRECTIONS
Cook & drain the pasta.
I spiralized the zucchini but you can grate or slice it. Spiralizing is a good way to bury veggies in a spaghetti dish so your kids do not notice the veggies in there. I sliced the ends that were too short to spiralize.
Heat a glug or two of olive oil in a large saute pan. Saute the garlic for about 30 seconds & then add the zucchini. Saute a few minutes & then add mint and season with S&P. When the zucchini is soft – add the pasta & combine. Add cheese or vegan cheese here – if you are using it – or squeeze in some lemon – if you are going that route. Plate & serve with cheese and/or chopped herbs (mint or basil or parsley).
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
Living alone can make eating all the food I buy difficult. I buy produce with a thousand inspirations in my head – often forgetting that I have to eat everything I make myself. That can get difficult – especially with produce like avocados & leafy greens that have a short shelf life. Yesterday – I made a Spicy Vegan Szechuan Beef & Vegetable Stir-Fry (seen above) that used a lot of the veggies I had around – but – it did not use everything. I also had a lot of leftover basmati rice. So – I dreamed up this salad. I used a little (1 cup) of the rice I had. You could use more – or less – depending on how light you want this to be. You could also use quinoa or brown rice or some ancient grain of your choice. Whatever you decide – this salad is full of nutrients & tastes clean & light & fresh. If you do not add the avocado – this salad will keep in the fridge for a few days. Just add the avocado just before serving.
Vegan “Eat Your Greens” Warm Broccoli Rice Salad with Rainbow Chard, Basil, Mint, Avocado & Citrus Vinaigrette
Serves 2-4 depending on appetite
INGREDIENTS
2 TBS olive oil (or coconut oil)
1 cup cooked rice or other grain (optional)
1 head broccoli – grated or pulsed in a food processor
1 cucumber – chopped
1 zucchini – chopped
Avocado – amount at your discretion – sliced
2-3 scallions – sliced
1 bunch (6-8 leaves) rainbow chard (or other greens of your choice) – ribs removed & chopped
1/3 cup fresh basil – chopped
1/3 cup fresh mint – chopped
Pepitas (or other nuts) – amount at your discretion
GARNISH: basil, mint, lime wedges
for the dressing
2 TBS olive oil
2 TBS cider vinegar
2 TBS fresh lime (or lemon) juice (or a combination)
1 tsp lemon or lime zest
2 TBS Dijon mustard
1 or 2 TBS agave (I used 2 but might go less next time)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
S&P to taste
DIRECTIONS
Whisk the dressing together & adjust flavors to suit your tastes.
Pulse the broccoli in a food processor or grate it (grating is very messy).
Heat the olive oil in a large pan over high heat. Add the broccoli & rice & toss. Add the zucchini & chard. Add a few TBS water & cover the pan & remove from heat. You just want to warm everything through & get the chard & broccoli & zucchini wilt a bit.
In 5 minutes or so – put the rice mixture in a large bowl (or in the pan) & toss in the scallions, mint & basil & cucumber & some (not all) the dressing.
Put some of the warm salad on plates & garnish with avocado slices, pepitas, extra basil and/or mint, lime wedges, additional dressing & freshly cracked pepper.
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option. Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or print it out. It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing. The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.
Pestos are easy & can be made many ways – with all different greens & all kinds of nuts. This pesto today is the result of some wilting collard greens that I had in the fridge. HERE are several other pesto concoctions of mine.
I made this with Asiago cheese but you could use nutritional yeast or vegan Parmesan, instead. Your call. I blanched the collards (as you should with any greens for a pesto) because it brings all the vibrant green back & your pesto color pops!
Collard Greens & Pepita (Pumpkin Seed) Pesto (Vegan or Not)
(makes about enough for 4 servings of pasta – if you like your pesto used sparingly)
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
Chicken Piccata is one of the things I missed most when I gave up eating meat in the 80’s. Then – companies began making very convincing meatless chicken & that hole in my heart was cured. Behold my warm, vegan Chicken Piccata – below. REALLY convincing – trust me!
So – I had a few Memorial Day BBQ’s to attend & I was all about vegan pasta salads. They were a great idea because they assured that I would have something to eat at these parties & because vegan pasta salads – like the ones I made – were safe to leave out for hours without risk of spoiling. The other two I made were my Spicy Vegan Southwestern Pasta Salad & Pasta Salad with Arugula Pesto & Feta Cheese (Vegan or Vegetarian) – seen below, respectively.
I brought this Chicken Piccata Pasta Salad to a party at Naomi & Jason Priestley’s home. That is Naomi on the far left. I am the dimwit in the back who – it seems – was the only one there that didn’t know where to look when being photographed.
Anyway – Naomi took one bite & looked at me in shock. “McCarthy! Did you put real chicken in this?”
Needless to say – I hadn’t. But Beyond Meat chicken is so convincing – warm or cold – that it can fool even unapologetic, degenerate meat-eaters. This pasta salad disappeared quickly – and – besides Naomi – nobody ever questioned whether or not the chicken was real. I think they all assumed it was.
It is light & clean & healthy & vegan. If you are a Chicken Piccata lover – this salad is for you!
Vegan Cold Chicken Piccata Pasta Salad with Asparagus & Spinach
INGREDIENTS
1 lb pasta
9+ oz vegan chicken – cubed
1 bunch asparagus
1 cup fresh spinach
1/8 cup olive oil (more or less)
2 garlic cloves – minced
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (more or less)
3-6 TBS capers (Quantity determined by your taste for capers. I love them!) – chopped or not – or just chop some – your call
1/2 cup parsley – chopped
S&P
GARNISH – extra parsley & lemon wedges
DIRECTIONS
Trim the asparagus by holding each spear by each end & bend until it breaks. This breaks the asparagus just above the woody & impossible to chew part. Set aside.
Boil the pasta. My asparagus was the very thick kind. If you have the thick asparagus – add it to the boiling pasta 3 minutes before the pasta is done. Do it for 2 minutes for average asparagus & 1 minute for the very thin asparagus.
Drain & run under cold water.
Slice the asparagus into bite-sized pieces. Chop the spinach.
Toss everything together. Adjust the lemon & olive oil to your taste & season with S&P. Garnish with extra parsley & lemon wedges.
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option. Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or just print it out. It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing. The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.
This salad is jam packed with protein (from the quinoa, black beans & chickpeas) and light & healthy & delicious. The ingredients here are all optional – as is the case with all salads. This recipe makes an enormous party-sized quantity so – either be prepared to feed a lot of people or to eat it every day for a while – or cut the recipe in half. Do not dress the whole salad & do not add avocado until you are serving it. That way – the salad will keep longer. UPDATE 4-18-16: Without the avocado & dressing on it – this salad stayed fresh in my fridge for a full week.
Vegan Protein-Packed Red Quinoa Salad with Avocado, Arugula & Citrus-Balsamic Vinaigrette
Makes a boatload of salad – at least enough for 6 as an entree – more as a side
INGREDIENTS
for the salad
(these quantities are very flexible – so make your salad to taste)
3-4 cups cooked red (or other) quinoa (cooked according to directions & cooled)
1 English cucumber – diced
1 cup chopped cherry (or other) tomatoes (I used heirloom)
1 15-oz can black beans – drained & rinsed
1 15-oz can chickpeas – drained & rinsed
1/2 cup sliced black olives
1 red bell pepper – seeded & diced
3 scallions – sliced
1 cup corn (fresh cut from the cob is best but I used frozen)
1/2 red onion – diced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (optional)
Avocado (as much or as little as you like – I used 1/2 avocado per serving) – cubed & lime juice squeezed on it
Arugula (optional – as a bedding)
for the citrus-balsamic vinaigrette
5 TBS of juice from lemons & limes (use either one or a combo of both for a total of 5 TBS)
1-3 garlic cloves – minced
2 TBS white (or other) balsamic vinaigrette
1/4 cup cilantro – chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 tsp cumin
S&P to taste
DIRECTIONS
Cook & cool your quinoa. You can even rinse it in cold water & drain it to cool it quickly.
Whisk the dressing together & season to taste.
Toss all the salad ingredients – EXCEPT the avocado & arugula – and stir to combine.
If using arugula – put some on plates. Top with quinoa salad & drizzle with dressing. Top with avocado.
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option. Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or just print it out. It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing. The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.
Every two weeks, I get a box of mixed veggies from Farm Fresh To You. I enjoy it because they are locally grown but also because they send me things I have never used before – like this Romanesco Cauliflower (or Romanesco broccoli). It is striking to look at & almost looks other-worldly. It has the texture of cauliflower but is described as tasting slightly nutty & earthy. I found the flavor to be very mild – much like cauliflower – so you can use it any way you would use cauliflower. I chose this light pasta dish. I used real cheese in it but that is not necessary. You can omit it with little loss to overall flavor or use a bit of nutritional yeast or vegan hard cheese – grated.
Pasta with Romanesco Cauliflower (Broccoli), Lemon & Chili Flakes (Vegetarian or Vegan)
Serves 2
INGREDIENTS
1-2 heads of Romanesco cauliflower – cut into florets (or one bunch broccoli or head of cauliflower – cut into bite-sized pieces)
1 lemon (zest & juice)
Olive oil
Crushed red pepper to taste (I used a lot – like – 2 TBS – but use it at your own discretion)
1-4 garlic cloves – chopped
1/2 lb pasta (cooked)
S&P
Cheese (grated Parmesan or other hard cheese or vegan alternative or a TBS or so of nutritional yeast) – quantity totally up to you
DIRECTIONS
Cook pasta according to directions, drain & set aside.
Meanwhile – boil the Romanesco florets for about 3 minutes. Scoop out about 1 cup of the hot veggie water & set aside. Drain & plunge the Romanesco into cold water to stop it from cooking too much.
Heat 1-2 TBS olive oil in a large saute pan. Add the crushed red pepper, garlic & lemon zest. Cook for about a minute & then add the Romanesco. Heat through.
Add some cheese & some of the hot veggie water. Stir to combine. Season with S&P. Add more cheese if you like.
Add the pasta & some of the lemon juice. Stir to combine & then adjust seasonings – maybe adding more cheese (or nutritional yeast) or S&P or lemon or crushed red pepper.
To see images of my past posts & get links to the recipes – look on my Pinterest board – HERE.
All my posts now have a VERY customizable PRINT & PDF option. Create a PDF & save the recipe to your computer or just print it out. It offers a “remove images” option & you can delete any part of the post you do not need before printing. The button is below by the Twitter & Facebook links.
OK – in order to make this recipe – you really will need two important ingredients – seen above – preserved lemons & ras el hanout. The preserved lemons will give the dish its distinctive Moroccan flair and the ras el hanout will keep this stew from tasting like a curry. You can make the ras el hanout – as it is just a blend of other spices – but buying it will be so much cheaper & easier. See the package below – list the spices involved in that particular brand.
I used saffron – because I had it – but saffron can be very expensive so – if you don’t have any & don’t want to shell out the funds – blow the saffron off. Same with the harissa (a hot sauce). The two things I really suggest you not blow off are the preserved lemons & the ras el hanout – both of which can be purchased on Amazon.
Preserved lemons come in a jar (see above) & are simply lemons pickled in brine. They maintain all their sharp lemon flavor but are quite salty & very soft. The flavor they give this dish is critical – so – be patient – and get some before making this.
Other than that – this is a straight-forward slow cooker dish (which could be made by simmering on the stove, too) with ingredients that are easy to come by. I served mine with this Trader Joe’s blend of grains but couscous is more traditional. I like this stuff from Trader Joe’s because it is pretty & offers lots of textures. You can serve yours with whatever grain you prefer.
I used Beyond Meat chicken because I think it is the best on the market. I thawed & shredded it because it breaks down in stews better that way & because – visually – it really looks like shredded chicken. I am convinced you could slip this by meat-eaters with no complaints.
Vegan Moroccan Chicken, Chickpeas & Butternut Squash with Preserved Lemons for the Slow Cooker (or Not)
Serves 4-6 with couscous or rice
INGREDIENTS
9-12 oz vegan chicken
1 onion – diced
2-4 garlic cloves – chopped
2 (15 oz) cans of chickpeas – drained
4 cups vegetable stock
1 TBS ras el hanout
1/4 – 1 preserved lemon (depending on hpw large it is) – diced small (start with less & add more as you go – just so that this flavor doesn’t get to overpowering for you) – I used the entire 1/2 lemon using all parts
Saffron (a large pinch or more) – optional
Green and/or black olives – I used half Kalamata & half large martini olives – in a quantity to suit your taste for olives – optional
1 TBS harissa (or other hot sauce) – optional
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes
3 carrots – chopped
1 butternut squash – peeled, seeded & cubed
1/2 – 1 red bell pepper – diced
1 lemon – peeled & sliced
1 handful cilantro
GARNISH – chopped cilantro or parsley, lemon wedges/slices
Cooked couscous or other grain
DIRECTIONS
Put everything into a slow cooker & cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8. If you started light with the preserved lemon – taste occasionally & add more – if you like the flavor. Overall – it should have a strong lemon flavor. It should not need salt – because the preserved lemons, olives & stock should have that covered.
Stove top – just bring to a boil & simmer everything until the vegetables are soft – likely less than an hour. If you started light with the preserved lemon – taste occasionally & add more – if you like the flavor. Overall – it should have a strong lemon flavor. It should not need salt – because the preserved lemons, olives & stock should have that covered.
In both cases – add water if it gets too thick.
Serve with whatever grain you chose & garnish with cilantro or parsley & lemon wedges.
